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Colorado gun debate to rise with package of bills from Democrats

By Kurtis LeeThe Denver Post

Posted:
02/04/2013 12:01:00 AM MST

Updated:
02/04/2013 05:19:36 PM MST

The .223 caliber cartridge is shown in a gun shop in Douglas, Arizona, in this May 14, 2008, file photo. Americans buy some 10 billion to 12 billion bullets every year, including military and law enforcement, according to estimates by the industry. Regulating them is a Herculean task but is easier than controlling guns in one significant way: a bullet usally doesn't last long. (Jeff Topping, Reuters)

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As they roll out stricter gun legislation, Democrats, who control both chambers at the state Capitol, plan to use the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 and at an Aurora movie theater in July as stark examples of why such measures are needed.

"It's tough to find another state that's endured a pair of high-profile tragic shootings like these," said political analyst Floyd Ciruli. "This really localizes the political debate because Coloradans have lived through it. And all around the state, people have a real vested interest in the issue of guns."

Laura Chapin, a spokeswoman for the coalition working to pass stricter gun laws, said the state's history adds substance to the gun debate.

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"There's families right here in Colorado who lost loved ones because a gunman had a high-capacity magazine or was able to buy a gun despite having a potential mental illness," Chapin said.

Since the legislative session convened in January, the discussion of guns has lived up to its billing as one of the year's most contentious debates.

"Never in my 20 years of gun lobbying in this state have I seen more motivated gun activists and owners," said Dudley Brown, head of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and the National Association for Gun Rights. "We don't want the government infringing on our Second Amendment right to bear arms, and that's exactly what Democrats are trying to do."

But for Tom Mauser, whose 15-year-old son, Daniel, was killed in the 1999 shootings at Columbine, there's no better time than the present for new gun laws.

"We owe this to victims of these mass shootings, ourselves and future generations," said Mauser, who said he will testify at committee hearings for a proposed assault-weapons ban and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines.

"We're not going to stop all these crimes and tragedies from happening, but we can make genuine efforts to curb them."

Spurred by the December mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, Democrats in neighboring New York have in recent weeks passed far-reaching gun laws that included outlawing an array of military-style weapons, restricting ammunition magazines to seven rounds and required background checks for ammunition sales.

"We're obviously not New York, but if you look at what Democrats are likely to propose here in terms of gun measures, it's relatively modest," Ciruli said. "And that's obviously because we're a Western state that's big on hunting and sport shooting."

Still, some Colorado Democrats are reluctant to throw support behind gun laws being promoted by the party.

"I'm not sure why Democrats here in Colorado and in Washington, D.C., think that more gun laws is the answer," said State Rep. Ed Vigil, D-Fort Garland. "Bans or extra requirements are not going to prevent crimes."

Moreover, Democratic Senate President John Morse — who is also a former police chief — said he's conflicted about which gun measures could work.

"I don't see a magical solution," Morse told reporters in a news conference last week.

Republicans continue to argue that any hasty gun regulation — like the laws passed in New York with little public debate — is not common-sense reform.

"Emotions are high and we all want to increase public safety," said House Minority Leader Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs. "And the fundamental question is, will more gun control enhance public safety? I don't think so. I don't see how limiting law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights enhances the overall safety of Colorado communities."

"It is odd that Democrats haven't come out with their gun legislation already," Ciruli said. "One would think that they would relish having this debate when it appears there's some public backing behind what they're sponsoring."

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